The present invention relates to thermostable cremes having low levels of water activity. Water activity has become a major concern to those in the food industry since foodstuffs with low water activities generally have longer shelf-lives than foodstuffs with relatively higher levels of water activity. In addition, many high moisture products with high water activities are microbiologically unstable.
The water activity of a food is defined as the partial vapor pressure of water in the food divided by the saturation vapor pressure of pure water at the temperature of the food. Water activity can be considered to be a measure of the tendency of a material to allow moisture to migrate out of the material to its surrounding environment. Water activity can be determined by placing a sample in a container, which is then sealed, and after equilibrium is reached, determining the relative humidity above the sample.
Cremes known in the prior art generally have high moisture levels and high levels of water activity (A.sub.w of 0.8-0.9). One problem with such cremes is that when they are combined with another food product having a lower level of moisture, such as a pastry, the disparity in moisture promotes the transmission of water from the creme into the food product of lower moisture. When the other foodstuff is a pastry, this transmission of moisture can cause the pastry to become soggy.
While high moisture cremes having a low water activity have been produced by adding various humectants, cremes produced in this manner have not been thermostable. The importance of producing a high moisture creme having a low water activity and thermal stability is especially important in the production of creme-filled pastries where the filling is added to dough prior to baking, as opposed to adding the filling after baking. Accordingly, there is a need for a high moisture creme which is thermostable and exhibits low levels of water activity.